On Nov. 5, Kemin Industries broke ground for a new manufacturing facility in southeast Des Moines, Iowa. The state-of-the-art facility will focus on the company’s production of encapsulated amino acids used in livestock feed to increase animal production and efficiency.
The roughly $17 million project is the company’s most recent development in its worldwide expansion plan. First announced in 2010, the plan called for an investment of approximately $40 million and committed to adding 98 jobs. Since that time, the company has surpassed its commitment, adding approximately 140 full-time jobs.
In September, it increased its initial investment to $125.5 million to support this additional growth. The new encapsulation manufacturing facility is expected to add 24 skilled positions at the operations and management level.
“Our expansion plan in Des Moines, and around the world, is a reflection of our commitment to improve the quality of life of half the world’s population by the end of the decade,” said Dr. Chris Nelson, CEO and president of Kemin Industries.
“But we can’t do it alone. This new investment is for the hardworking farmers and producers who need help improving the nutritional efficiency of their feed. Together, we can provide safer, nutritious food to a growing world.”
The 16,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will house unique equipment that uses a proprietary process to coat and protect amino acids used in feed. The encapsulation provides targeted release of the nutrients in the animal’s intestinal tract. The new facility allows the company to increase its global manufacturing capacity of encapsulated amino acids, a market the company believes is positioned for rapid growth.
The encapsulation facility is scheduled to be operational by November 2015. Further expanding its campus in Des Moines, Kemin will begin construction of a new global headquarters building in the summer of 2015, which will connect to its Molecular Advancement Center that opened in 2013. PD
—From Kemin Industries news release
